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Dr. Robin Berzin, MD is the founder and CEO of Parsley Health. A Summa Cum Laude graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Robin completed medical school at Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons, and trained in Internal Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. She has also trained in functional medicine with the Institute for Functional medicine, where she is an advisor on digital technology. In 2011 she co-founded the physician communication app Cureatr and subsequently has…

As the holiday parties start piling up on your calendar, you’re probably getting nervous about how to navigate all of the social obligations without indulging in all of the pigs in a blanket, fried cheese balls, or mounds of dessert and cocktails.

You don’t want to feel deprived. You do want to enjoy yourself. But, you don’t want to feel terrible the next day. I totally get it and I agree. To ensure you make all of your choices mindfully, here’s how to prepare yourself for all of the holiday festivities.

1. Create a Pre-HOLIDAY party Plan

Before each holiday cocktail party, dinner or event decide how you want to approach the evening. Will you eat a healthy snack before so you’re not starving? Will you allow yourself to have 2 glasses of wine? Will you fill your plate up with veggies and give yourself one little indulgent bite of something? When you go into these situations prepared, you will not only feel good, but you won’t find yourself regretting the fact that you overdid it at the dessert table.

What a pre-holiday party plan could look like:

Set an intention the day of the party. Spend a few moments during your day reflecting on and perhaps journaling your intentions, your goals, and how you want to feel. The day of, eat how you normally would – don’t “save” calories by not eating only to indulge later.

Make sure to have a filling snack before heading to the holiday party. Arriving hungry is usually a sure sign that you will head straight for the food.

Bring your own healthy dish so you know there will be a healthy option for you at the party. This also gives you an opportunity to share delicious, healthy food with friends.

Stay hydrated by drinking water throughout your day and during the party. Dehydration can cause feelings of fatigue and unwanted sugar and carb cravings.

2. Be Kind to Yourself

Whatever choices you make, decide to be ok with them and move on. Don’t beat yourself up or use overdoing it as an excuse to keep overdoing it at every holiday party or event you attend.

Let us help you take a smarter, whole approach to living a healthy life.

3. DETOX

For every evening you retox, take the following day(s) to detox. Following an afternoon or evening of overindulgence, it’s best to make the next couple of days all about helping your body get back on track. Things like drinking warm water with lemon first thing in the morning, staying away from the usual inflammatory foods like sugar, dairy and gluten, and prioritizing rest and movement will surely help you feel better.

Dr. Robin Berzin, MD is the founder and CEO of Parsley Health. A Summa Cum Laude graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Robin completed medical school at Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons, and trained in Internal Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. She has also trained in functional medicine with the Institute for Functional medicine, where she is an advisor on digital technology. In 2011 she co-founded the physician communication app Cureatr and subsequently has…